Category: MLB

“It’s like I’m Al Capone or something,” Rose said. “But guys are starting to come back to my side now because they see what is happening in baseball. Guys are doing things that alter records and they get 65 games. I got 24 years.” — Pete Rose

Bud Selig and company had an opportunity to crush PED usage in professional baseball.

Instead, they allowed Alex Rodriguez to negotiate. Rodriguez — who has lied about using PEDs on national television, only to backtrack and admit to taking them, and then get caught all over again. My goodness. If you aren’t going to lay the hammer down for that, then I’m not sure what it will take.

I have a big problem with Alex Rodriguez. He’s a cheater. And a liar. He’s a disgrace to the game. I don’t believe anything that comes out of his mouth.

Nope. Not even that. How can you feel deep regret, when just two years prior to him admitting to using PEDs, he flat out denied ever using them in an interview despite testing positive. Now, you’re telling me that he never knew he tested positive back in 2003? Come on. And does anyone remember that story he gave several weeks after admitting to using PEDs. He’s done nothing but make excuses. Continue reading “Alex Rodriguez is a Desecration to Major League Baseball”→

I saw someone pose this question in the Atlanta Braves group that I am in on Facebook:

Do you think the Braves will have a batter hit over .300 when the regular season ends? If so, who?

A solid question, and certainly one to spark a fun debate among a forum. I want to take a deeper look into this question and determine whether or not it will actually matter for the 2013 Atlanta Braves.

The Braves enter a baseball season for the first time since 1995 without Chipper Jones being a regular in their lineup. He takes with him a career .303/.401/.529 line and one of the few threats to hit for .300 over the last few years for Atlanta. Add in the trade of Martin Prado (career .295 hitter) and the likelihood of a Brave posting a .300 average over a full season of at bats seems unlikely.

The significance of batting average is debatable. It’s a bit overrated in my opinion. I suppose you figured that much from the title of the article, but hear me out.

Are you getting a .300 average from Joe Mauer or Albert Pujols? Let me dig a little deeper.

Hanson, a once-promising ace in the farm system, has regressed to a pitcher who can’t control his pitches and one that can’t seem to stop allowing runners on the basepaths. His loss of velocity on his fastball is well-known to Braves fans who follow the team closely enough, but it’s his complete loss of command — both of the mound and his pitches — that is really the most alarming development.

While it’s true that Hanson is in his age 25 season (just turned 26), and that does offer some hope, his future looks cloudier with each outing. He’s spent time on the DL two years in a row and it’s looking like his delivery could be his downfall. Continue reading “Atlanta Braves: The Fall of Tommy Hanson”→